Of Squires and Sages
by Star-Speckled Dragon
Summary: AU: When a supposed friend of the kingdom deceives and kidnaps its princess, a ragtag group of young heroes sets out to rescue her. However, they soon find themselves immersed in a deeper plot than they could have imagined. Can they stop it in time?
1. Once Upon a Time

Hey fanfiction readers! Here we have a lovely new AU fanfic that I've been dying to start working on. It has a bit of a fairytale-esque feel to it (although in a more modern-fairytale-with-a-twist kind of way), and I hope to illustrate that idea through chapter titles such as this first one.

I plan to involve as many Titans characters in this fanfic as reasonably possible, and a couple of other DC Universe characters will make appearances as well. Because it's a fantasy AU and therefore severely lacking in superhero roles, most of the characters will go by their "real names" rather than their hero names (just drop me a PM or ask in a review if you don't happen to know what they are). And of course, what's a fairytale without romance? There will be a good bit of RobinxStar romance in this story, as well as another coupling or two that will be revealed later.

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**Chapter One: Once Upon a Time**

The sharp _clack-clack_ of footsteps on cobblestone jolted the drowsy guard out of near-slumber. He immediately stood upright and raised his spear so that it pointed in the direction of the short tunnel from which the sound was echoing. "Who goes there?" he growled.

"Do not worry yourself, Reginald," a soft voice answered with a slight tone of amusement. At the same time, a tall, graceful figure detached itself from the shadows and stepped forward, smiling. It was a girl in her later teens, with long auburn hair, sparkling green eyes and wearing a flowing, yet somewhat simple gown. "It is only me."

The guard's face flushed slightly as he relaxed and lowered his weapon. "Princess Kori," he said gruffly with a bow, "You startled me."

The princess giggled. "Did you fall asleep at your post?"

Reginald frowned. "The inner courtyard is already pretty well protected against intruders by the outer walls and guards, and there aren't that many people around at this time in the morning. Still, I would never let myself fall asleep on duty! I heard you coming, didn't I?" His face softened into a warm smile. "Speaking of which, what _are_ you doing out here so early? Hoping to see our esteemed guest, I suppose?"

Kori's face lit up. "Oh, very much so! He actually requested that I see him personally, apart from my family's official meetings. He wanted to show me something."

The guard chuckled. "Very well then, Your Highness." He grabbed a keyring from his belt and turned to unlock the massive wrought-iron gate that led to the inner courtyard. After easing the gate open, he stood aside to allow the princess through, then stepped in as well and closed the gate behind the two of them.

The courtyard was quiet at this time in the morning. A smooth stone path meandered through the soft grass, which was peppered here and there with great oak trees and tiny hopping songbirds. A few stone benches were set along the path, most of them in the cool shadows of the trees. And beneath the branches of the tallest oak, a massive black and purple dragon was resting in the shade.

"Malchior!" Reginald called. "You have a visitor."

The dragon raised his head and smiled. He stood up, shook himself, and then bowed his neck toward the princess. "Your Highness," he addressed in a deep, smooth voice, "I'm glad you could make it."

Kori ran up to the beast and swept a swift curtsy, more out of habit than anything else. "It is good to see you again, Malchior. You said you wanted to show me something?" she asked curiously.

Malchior nodded. "Actually, I have bit of a proposition for you. Your parents told me that you are something of an adventurer, correct?"

Kori blushed. "Not exactly, but do enjoy getting out and meeting new people."

Malchior chuckled. "Ahh, perfect. Well then, how would you like me to show you my home in the mountains? You could meet the rest of my clan and –"

Reginald cleared his throat. "Although it is not my place to say where the princess should or should not go," he interrupted, "I'm not so sure that this plan is very wise. Not to say anything negative of you or your clanmates, but do remember that there are people out there who would not hesitate to harm a member of the royal family. Maybe if you took a guard or two as well…"

The guard thought he saw Malchior's eyes flash with irritation for a brief moment, but the dragon's calm demeanor never wavered. "I understand your concern, good sir," he replied coolly. "However, I would readily die before allowing Her Highness to come to harm. You may rest assured that she will be safe with me. Besides, this show of trust would doubtless help to improve the relations between your people and mine."

Upon seeing that the guard was still a bit hesitant, Kori spoke up. "You do not need to worry, Reginald," she assured him. "Malchior is a good friend of ours. Besides, even if something were to happen, I know how to take care of myself."

Reginald let out a thoughtful sigh. She did have a point – the kingdom was known for its common practice of training members of the royal family to be skilled warriors in case they ever needed to defend themselves. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that there was a dagger concealed in her sash now, ready to be retrieved in a moment if a situation became dangerous. And if those rumors about the new Sages were true…

The guard bowed respectfully. "Like I said, it is not my place to permit or forbid the Princess to do anything. If the two of you believe that you are prepared to go so suddenly, then all I can do is suggest that you return soon."

"Yes, of course," Malchior replied. "You can expect us back by sundown – I would say earlier, but it is a bit of a journey." He then returned his attention to the princess.

"So, I take it you've decided to come?"

Kori nodded eagerly. "It would be an honor to meet the rest of your clan."

"Wonderful!" Malchior cried. "Let's not waste any more time, then."

The dragon knelt down to the ground, and Kori climbed onto his back with a nimble swiftness not quite expected from an elegant princess. She turned to Reginald one more time.

"Please, could you let my parents know where I have gone for the day?"

The guard could only nod as the dragon surged up into the air. He watched the pair head over the castle walls and off towards the mountains with a slight frown. He really shouldn't be so paranoid, he thought, but for just a moment it seemed as though Malchior had flown off with an oddly triumphant gleam in his eye.

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Well, here we go! Heh, you all probably know what's going to happen next... At least partially ;) You know, I was originally going to upload this and Chapter 2 at the same time, but I've been waiting too long to get another story/chapter up as it is. That being said, be ready to look out for Chapter 2 soon. Don't forget to review beforehand, though!

Oh, a quick note before we go! When the characters are talking about Malchior's "clan," they basically mean the big group/family of dragons that he lives with. You know, like a herd of horses or a town of people. Just wanted to mention that in case anyone couldn't figure it out by context.


	2. Young Warrior

...You know, there was something I wanted to say about this chapter here, but I forgot what it was :/ Meh, don't think it was anything important. There is one thing I wanted to mention, though: This chapter involves a bit of fantasy-fied Batman and Batgirl, neither of whom have I seen in action for a little while. Batman probably doesn't have enough of a role for me to have messed up his character too much, but please forgive me if Batgirl's personality is off (and tell me how it's off so I can fix it later!) Thanks!

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**Chapter Two: Young Warrior**

_Strike coming from the right. Opening on the left. Blocked. Dodge blow, parry… Block!_ Richard focused intently as his practice sword clashed again and again with that of his fellow squire and current sparring partner, Barbara.

The training grounds were, as usual, bustling at this time in the afternoon. Young squires and skilled knights alike utilized its small collection of arenas to hone their skills with the sword and other handheld weapons, while battered targets used for range practice lined one side of a nearby clearing.

Richard wasn't paying attention to his busy surroundings, however. At that moment, it was just him and his opponent, each determined to emerge from the arena as the victor.

_Now!_ The knight-in-training found an opening in Barbara's defense and struck. With a swift move, he knocked the wooden sword from her hand. Unarmed, she jumped back and nimbly dodged his next blows. After a moment, she turned slightly and dove off to the side to retrieve her weapon.

Richard had been anticipating this. Gathering what was left of his energy, he dashed after his opponent and tackled her to the ground. She recovered quickly, however, twisting his own sword from his exhausted grip and knocking him away. Before he could react, the blade was at his throat.

"Game… set… match!" the overseer announced from the side of the ring.

After a short pause, the two contenders stood up.

"Hey, good match," Barbara said with a nod, handing her opponent's training sword back to him before turning back to grab her own.

Richard nodded. "You… too," he replied, too out of breath to speak properly.

By this time, a young man with sharp blue eyes and a knight's sword strapped at his waist had entered the arena.

"Very good job, both of you," he commented.

"Thanks, Master Bruce," Barbara replied while Richard (still out of breath) nodded.

The knight eyed his male squire. "Although, Richard," he added, "you really shouldn't work yourself so hard so quickly. Wearing yourself out will end up putting you at a disadvantage, like it did today."

The boy didn't reply. He didn't really have anything that he could say; he had already gotten the same warning a few times in the past couple of weeks.

As the three left the arena, a few of the newer squires gawked at the knight or whispered to each other about him and his protégés. Richard hardly took any notice – Sir Bruce was one of the greatest and best-known knights in the kingdom, so he tended to attract attention from young hopefuls.

Barbara nudged her friend with her elbow. "So, just why _have_ you been wearing yourself out so much lately?" she questioned.

Richard gave her a quizzical look.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I mean, you've always worked really hard at your training, but you usually know how to at least pace yourself."

Richard frowned and thought it over for a moment. "I guess I've been kind of anxious to finish my training and become a knight. I want to be able to see Princess Kori again…"

"… Before she marries?" Barbara guessed. When he didn't reply right away, she smirked. "I knew it! You're in love with her!"

Richard nearly stumbled, his face flushing over completely. "It's not like that!" he sputtered. "I just… She was my best friend and I want to see her again, okay?"

"Mm-hmm, _suuure_," Barbara trailed off before disappearing into the small building that housed Sir Bruce and his two squires. Richard scowled at her retreating form. Before he could follow her in and continue to protest, though, a commotion broke out behind him.

Curious, the boy turned back and walked up to a group of young men and women that were now chattering wildly. He recognized most of them from around the training grounds, but one stood out: a man on horseback, older than the rest and decked in the uniform of a palace messenger.

Richard stepped into the midst of the group. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked a nearby squire.

The girl turned to him, her eyes wide. "It's the princess," she replied incredulously. "The royal family's been betrayed by one of their trusted allies. The princess… She's been kidnapped!"

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All right, now we're getting somewhere! *rubs hands together* Don't forget to review, and I'll try and get chapter three up soon!


	3. The Quest

**Chapter Three: The Quest**

Richard's heart caught in his throat. "Princess Kori?"

The female squire nodded. "Apparently, an ambassador took her to see something the other day and never came back," she clarified. Pointing back at the messenger, she added, "He just came down here to alert the rest of the kingdom; he can explain everything."

"Explain what now?" Richard almost jumped when Barbara's voice sounded behind him. She had just come out and joined the group.

The messenger addressed the two new arrivals. "It was Malchior, one of the ambassadors from the dragon clan in the northern mountains," he explained. "According to one of the palace guards, he offered to show Princess Kori around his home for a day. He was in very good relations with the Royal Family, so she trusted him well enough to consent."

The man shook his head mournfully. "That was three days ago. When the two didn't return that night, the guards grew concerned and sent a small party out to the mountains to see if everything was all right. The dragons were astonished to hear the story… They informed the party that Malchior had been discovered practicing dark magic and expelled from the clan over a week before. They hadn't heard from him since, and most certainly hadn't known that he had come here or that he'd taken the princess anywhere. Between that and the fact that we still haven't seen any sign of either of them, kidnapping is the only logical explanation for all of this!"

Barbara let out a low whistle and shook her head. "Kidnapped by a rogue dragon? That's bad," she muttered worriedly.

"_Bad" is a serious understatement_, Richard thought to himself. A cold fear rose in his chest as he began to realize just how dire the situation really was. If Malchior had simply wanted to take Kori for some sort of ransom, he would have contacted somebody with his demands by now. What, then, could he be planning to use her for?

The messenger shifted in his saddle. "I must continue to spread this terrible news. As you all can imagine, the Royal Family is desperate for any sort of help in locating and retrieving the princess. There will be a grand reward for whoever is able to do so. Squires, let your knights know about this at once and see if they are willing to help."

Richard took all of this in silently, his thoughts occupied by fond memories of his old friend and a paralyzing fear for her safety. Just as the messenger was about to urge his horse on, however, the squire snapped back into attention and held up a hand to stop him.

"Wait! Before you go… In which direction was Malchior headed when they were last seen?"

The man frowned. "He flew north, in the direction of his clan's home, although he obviously didn't end up there. Whether he's hiding out nearby or doubled back after fooling the guard is anyone's guess, unfortunately."

Richard nodded, and the messenger quickly cantered off. After a few more minutes of excited chatter, most of the group dispersed, leaving the boy deep in thought.

Barbara, one of the few who had remained, eyed her friend suspiciously. "You'd better not be thinking what you look like you're thinking," she warned him.

Richard looked up at her. "I'm going after them."

Barbara groaned. "You can't do that!"

"I have to try."

Barbara grit her teeth and glared at him. "Richard, this isn't a fairytale! Just because you have a noble heart doesn't mean you can just prance off, slay the dragon and come back as the conquering hero who gets to marry the princess. You'll only get yourself killed out there!"

Richard returned the stare, his eyes glinting with a cold determination. "That isn't what this is about," he hissed. "Kori and I practically grew up together; you know that! She was my closest friend, and I can't just sit here and do nothing when she's in danger!"

The other squire's look softened at that. "Richard, listen to me," she pleaded, more gently this time. "It doesn't matter what your intentions are; you're still not even done with your training yet and this is a _dragon_ we're talking about. _And_ one who's been practicing dark magic! You have to leave this quest to the experienced knights and mages, as much as you want to help. Do you think Princess Kori would want you running off on a suicide mission like this?"

Richard replied with a wan smile, as if to try and reassure his friend. "I know it sounds crazy, but I have a plan. I know better than to jump into something without thinking it through, so you'll just have to trust me." The smile vanished, replaced with his former look of stern determination. "Because you're not going to change my mind."

Barbara bit her lip. She still thought this was a bad idea, but she could tell that Richard's last statement was true. There was no arguing with him now.

Finally, the squire sighed. "Fine. But don't run off just yet; you can't go playing hide-and-seek with a rogue dragon without a few supplies."

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Richard took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the mountain range stretched out far ahead of him. _She's got to be out there somewhere_, he thought. _I just have to figure out where._

The young man was out of the kingdom's main city by now, walking along a road that would soon lead him to a smaller village on the way to the northern mountains. He carried a satchel filled with a little money and enough provisions to last him a few days and wore a scabbard holding a small sword that he could use to defend himself. The blade wasn't much, but it was all he owned – and he wasn't planning on engaging Malchior if he could help it.

Richard ran the plan though his head again. Ask around to find out if anyone's seen any unusual dragon activity recently, use that and whatever other information he can get to track down Malchior and the princess, sneak in, get Kori, and get out. Simple enough in theory, although whatever ensnarement Malchior was keeping the princess in would doubtless pose a challenge.

Getting there would hopefully be easier. Malchior would be in hiding, but the squire had learned a few tracking techniques from Sir Bruce, who was an expert at it. In addition, he had an advantage over any knights that would soon be heading out on this quest in that he would be less recognizable as a threat – unlike a band of armored knights, a lone young traveler picking his way across the mountains wouldn't be very likely to pick up the rogue dragon's attention.

Richard continued down the road at a brisk pace, too absorbed in his thoughts to notice a strange shadow creeping up beside him. Just as he caught a glimpse of movement directly to his right, a clawed limb raised and poised itself to strike.

The squire barely had time to raise an arm to block the attack. The blow struck him just below the elbow, claws raking across his arm, and threw him back onto the pavement. He quickly scrambled up, unsheathing his sword, and turned to get a good look at his opponent.

It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Entirely black, it didn't have any sort of face that he could see. In fact, it was practically shapeless, save for four fiercely clawed limbs. It moved in a graceful, fluid way, and its body seemed to twist and writhe as though it had no solid form.

Richard tightened his grip on his sword. His right arm throbbed where it had been scratched, but the wound wasn't serious enough to impede movement. The monster came at him again, but he ducked around and swung at it. His blade cut across its arm, and it let out a shriek. In the same moment, though, it turned around and, before he could react, swiped the sword from his hand.

Completely vulnerable now, Richard jumped back. This thing was _fast_. It was already coming at him again, and he barely managed to dodge it. It spun around and took another swipe at him, but he ducked out of the way. When he looked up again, though, the creature had disappeared from view.

Before he could process what was going on, a blow stuck him hard across the back of the head. He pitched forward and stumbled to the ground, his head swimming. His sight began to fade as the shadow loomed over him, ready to finish off its helpless prey. Then he heard a shout, though he couldn't make out what it was, and the creature was suddenly knocked back by something that he couldn't quite see.

And that's when everything went black.

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Uhh... Once again, I seem to have found myself with little to really go in and say. I guess the chapter mostly speaks for itself ;) I ended up really enjoying writing this one, so I'm hoping you all liked it too! So, uhh... Yadda yadda please review and I'll get to work on chapter 4. Sure, let's go with that ^_^


	4. The Sorceress

Yay, story editing is working again! Anyway, to answer a question from one of my anonymous reviewers (and for anyone else who may have been wondering but didn't ask), no, the guard Reginald is not a Titan character... Just a guy I made up to fill the role. Remember, don't be afraid to ask if you're unsure about one of the characters!

By the way, if anyone is able to recognize where I got the name of the town in this chapter from, you get extra brownie points. And possibly a cookie.

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**Chapter Four: The Sorceress**

The first thing Richard noticed was the sharp pain at the back of his head.

The second was that he wasn't on the hard ground anymore. The squire opened his bleary eyes to see that he was inside somewhere, lying on a small cot. Glancing around, he saw that the walls of the room were lined with shelves – most of them filled with books, but a few housing bottles of liquid and strange items that he couldn't quite recognize. He frowned slightly. _What is this place?_

"I see you're awake."

Richard turned abruptly (wincing as the motion shot new waves of pain into his skull) toward the source of the unfamiliar voice. At a small table across the room sat a young woman, about his age and dressed in a dark cloak. She had very pale skin, short black hair and eyes that were a deep, almost indigo shade of blue. She regarded him with a somewhat bored, yet attentive look on her face.

Richard sat up, suddenly remembering how the monster had been chased off just before he had lost consciousness. "You're the one who saved me," he guessed.

The girl nodded silently. She reached over to a pitcher of water and poured a little into a glass.

"You've been out for a few hours now. You should have something to drink," she said as she stood up and walked over to offer him the glass.

Richard hesitated for a moment, not certain if he should trust this stranger. But then again, he had just been unconscious – if she had really wanted to harm him, she would have done so already. He gladly accepted the water, only now realizing how parched he was.

As he drank, the girl rested a hand at the base of his skull and muttered something. In an instant, the throbbing pain in his head receded to a dull ache. He looked up at her in surprise.

"Who are you?"

The girl took a step back and regarded the squire in that same emotionless manner, and he shifted his position so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Finally, she shrugged.

"My name is Rachel. I'm a sorceress here in Dorad. That's all you really need to know."

Richard nodded. It made sense… Dorad was the town he'd been heading for when he had been attacked, and after that display, he didn't doubt that Rachel could use magic. He noted that the deep scratch on his arm was now gone – she must have used another healing spell on it while he had been unconscious.

"Well… Thank you for helping me," he replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I did what I had to. Nothing more," the sorceress dismissed. She raised an eyebrow. "Now it's your turn. What were you doing alone out there?"

Richard took a deep breath and quickly explained who he was and why he had come to Dorad. Rachel didn't seem very surprised by the nature of his quest.

"Yes, I heard about Princess Kori's disappearance," she mused. She paused, thinking for a moment. "It's gotten late by now, so we'll have to pick up again tomorrow morning. It will give you some time to finish recovering anyway."

Richard stood up. "We?"

"You said you wanted to look like a simple traveler. Most people travel in groups, so you'll only look more conspicuous if you continue to go alone. Besides, between the dragon and those wraiths wandering around, you won't last long by yourself. Gar!"

Before Richard could ask what she meant by "wraiths" (or respond at all, for that matter), a small brown monkey hopped out of the next room and onto Rachel's shoulder. He looked the squire over curiously and then said, "You've been out for a while, man. You okay?"

Richard blinked. "Your monkey just talked to me," he stated numbly, wondering if he had suffered more head trauma than the sorceress could fix.

The animal erupted into peals of laughter, and even Rachel smirked a little at the boy's surprise.

"Gar is a shapeshifter, actually," she explained. "And yes, he does have the ability to speak. Unfortunately, he is also my familiar."

"Aww, come on, Raven! You know you like having me as a partner!" Gar countered, undaunted by Rachel's blunt manner.

"Right, of course I do," the sorceress replied unenthusiastically. "And stop calling me Raven."

"So, I take it he's coming with us?" Richard interrupted.

Rachel replied with a brisk nod and turned back to her familiar. "Gar, we're going to help Richard rescue the princess."

Gar's eyes widened. "WHAT? Nuh-uh, there's no way I'm going up against a rogue dragon! I prefer life!" he cried. He then turned into a sparrow and flew up into the rafters as if to run away from them.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "We don't plan on fighting him. And aren't you always complaining about how you never get to go on grand adventures or whatever?"

The bird seemed to consider this for a moment. "You promise we won't get eaten?" he finally twittered.

Richard and Rachel exchanged a brief glance, and she shrugged. "We can't promise anything, but we aren't going to run blindly into danger like idiots either. So, are you coming or not?"

Gar was silent for another moment as he thought the matter over, but then he fluttered back down and shifted back into a monkey. As he looked back and forth between the squire and the sorceress, his expression turned from apprehension to an almost mischievous enthusiasm as he asked, "What do we do first?"

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All right, before I get a ton of reviews asking about this, I'll just explain it all now. Yes, some of the characters look a little different from how they are in the show and/or have slight differences in their powers in order to fit the world of this story; yes, Gar's normal form is of a monkey rather than a human; no, neither this nor the fact that he is Rachel's familiar makes him any less significant or otherwise "beneath" the other characters (as he indicates in the story, he and Rachel consider each other to be partners rather than master and helper). And while I'm at it, I may as well also ensure anyone who may not be certain that no, the fact that Kori is the kidnapped princess here doesn't make her any less able to hold her own under normal circumstances – as was mentioned, she has been trained well for combat, and she was merely caught off-guard by Malchior's betrayal in this turn of events. That is all ^_^

So anyway, sorry for the slow and kinda-boring chapter here. Characters need to be introduced and make their way into the group somehow, heheh. Don't worry though; the story will pick up again next chapter.


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